Reflection Prompt: Reflect on your thinking surrounding your developing a philosophy of Instructional Technology use for learning and your understanding of 21st Century Teaching and Learning.
Description : Digital-Age youth are entrenched with technology. Whether technology takes place in the school or outside of the school, young people are plugged in and turned on. Youth have a natural knack for using technology for communication, innovation, research, problem solving and critical thinking (Facebook, iPhone, Wikipedia, Google, etc.). Children are becoming more and more detached from the institution of school, because of the lack of technology used in teaching, students aren't receiving education to meet their needs (according to organizations like Partnership for 21st Century Skills). There appears to be a great lag in education, "less than half of college students are able to narrow a search or adapt Web-based material for different audiences" (Educational Testing Services' iSkills data). Furthermore, schools are not preparing young people for adult careers, and even bigger, schools are not preparing young people for competing in a world marketplace.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has devised ways to address these problems through NETS Standards. In 1998, first standards, encouraging technology use in education with no real guidelines on how to implement them, so schools did not implement the standards. Fast forwarding to 2007, ISTE now have standards to guide state and local schools on how to provide technology enriched environments for students that compliment core curriculum. School Districts are able to hire Technology Leaders and Facilitators to provide professional development for teachers, to help design, develop, and implement technological experiences for the students and Educators as an ongoing endeavor. If the district and/or school plans line up with the standards spelled out in NETS, grant funding is available to improve the infrastructure for technology in the school(s). The Technology Facilitator/Leaders support teachers needs for technology use in the classroom, designing digital frameworks to meet teacher pedagogy and subject matter content providing technology tools for Student-Centered Learning.
Impact: ISTE NETS Standards were necessary to implement the use of technology as a teaching and learning tool to enhance core curriculum. Many school districts and teachers have been apprehensive to have technology in the school environment for fear of losing control and being exposed as inexperienced or novice. For these reasons, technology as a teacher and learning tool was denied in the past, but can no longer be denied. School districts now have standards directly connected with content for each grade level being taught. Most School districts are finding Lead Teachers to pair up with others using technology. We are still in the beginning phases in most schools, yet we are in a race against time. Technology changes daily, even by the minute.
Intent: As a librarian, I have to maintain information resources for my students, inclusive of all subject matter. I must stay abreast of what is good information on the WWW, popular database programs, software programs, eBooks, eMagazines, to name a few. It is a fact, that good library programs raise test scores. Good Librarians promote Information Literacy. Good schools promote their school library, and support their school library -- equipping them with Librarians and Library Staff and a budget to accommodate computers connected to the internet, subscriptions to databases, software, eBooks, digital cameras, scanners and other peripherals devices.
Description : Digital-Age youth are entrenched with technology. Whether technology takes place in the school or outside of the school, young people are plugged in and turned on. Youth have a natural knack for using technology for communication, innovation, research, problem solving and critical thinking (Facebook, iPhone, Wikipedia, Google, etc.). Children are becoming more and more detached from the institution of school, because of the lack of technology used in teaching, students aren't receiving education to meet their needs (according to organizations like Partnership for 21st Century Skills). There appears to be a great lag in education, "less than half of college students are able to narrow a search or adapt Web-based material for different audiences" (Educational Testing Services' iSkills data). Furthermore, schools are not preparing young people for adult careers, and even bigger, schools are not preparing young people for competing in a world marketplace.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has devised ways to address these problems through NETS Standards. In 1998, first standards, encouraging technology use in education with no real guidelines on how to implement them, so schools did not implement the standards. Fast forwarding to 2007, ISTE now have standards to guide state and local schools on how to provide technology enriched environments for students that compliment core curriculum. School Districts are able to hire Technology Leaders and Facilitators to provide professional development for teachers, to help design, develop, and implement technological experiences for the students and Educators as an ongoing endeavor. If the district and/or school plans line up with the standards spelled out in NETS, grant funding is available to improve the infrastructure for technology in the school(s). The Technology Facilitator/Leaders support teachers needs for technology use in the classroom, designing digital frameworks to meet teacher pedagogy and subject matter content providing technology tools for Student-Centered Learning.
Impact: ISTE NETS Standards were necessary to implement the use of technology as a teaching and learning tool to enhance core curriculum. Many school districts and teachers have been apprehensive to have technology in the school environment for fear of losing control and being exposed as inexperienced or novice. For these reasons, technology as a teacher and learning tool was denied in the past, but can no longer be denied. School districts now have standards directly connected with content for each grade level being taught. Most School districts are finding Lead Teachers to pair up with others using technology. We are still in the beginning phases in most schools, yet we are in a race against time. Technology changes daily, even by the minute.
Intent: As a librarian, I have to maintain information resources for my students, inclusive of all subject matter. I must stay abreast of what is good information on the WWW, popular database programs, software programs, eBooks, eMagazines, to name a few. It is a fact, that good library programs raise test scores. Good Librarians promote Information Literacy. Good schools promote their school library, and support their school library -- equipping them with Librarians and Library Staff and a budget to accommodate computers connected to the internet, subscriptions to databases, software, eBooks, digital cameras, scanners and other peripherals devices.